403 Forbidden

The owner of the historic Rest Awhile property on the Mandeville lakefront has applied to the city for permission to develop three 1800s structures on the site into a restaurant and bar. In its application to the city's planning department, McGuire Real Estate Group seeks a site usage permit to convent the main structure on the property into a restaurant and two smaller cottages into a tavern.

Under the plan, a 1,200- to 1,400-square-foot addition would be made to the elevated main building that would facilitate restrooms, a kitchen and elevators. That building, which was originally built in the 1800s as the Frapart Hotel and later became a retreat house, would serve as the restaurant overlooking Lake Pontchartrain.

The plan also calls for the Hadden Cottage, now located toward the back of the property, to be moved to the front of the tract where it would be connected by a deck to the Sophie B. Wright Cottage and the combined buildings would serve as a bar, according to the application.

The property, which measures 180-by-506 feet and is located at 2129 Lakeshore Drive, carries a B-3 mixed use zoning designation. Restaurants and bars are allowed under that designation, but the city's Zoning Commission must approve the site plan for such a development.

Mayor Donald Villere said the matter is likely to go before the commission sometime in January.

The property owner, Barrett McGuire, had initially expressed a desire to develop at least part of the property as residential - perhaps a retirement community - with a a portion set aside for commercial use. City officials said they believe McGuire still seeks to develop the back of the land in that fashion. McGuire could not be reached for comment Friday (Jan. 19).

Residents living near the property are concerned about the proposed bar and restaurant, fearing they will create noise and traffic on what is primarily a residential street. Adele Foster, who lives directly next door to the Rest Awhile, said its redevelopment has been the subject of several community meetings and residents are geared to stay involved in the process.

Villere said he has not taken a position on the issue because details of the project McGuire has in mind for the site have not yet been made available.

"We really need to see exactly what this is," Villere said. "It's still very early in the process."

The mayor described the Rest Awhile as "a unique piece of property that has great potential."

The Rest Awhile property and its remaining structures are regarded as some of the city's most treasured historical assets.

In the late 1800s, the Rest Awhile operated as Frapart Hotel and was considered the social center of the community. In the fall of 1894, creditors assumed control of the property. About 10 years later, the property and buildings were donated to the New York-based charitable organization International Order of the King's Daughters and Sons, who for nearly a century operated the complex as the Rest Awhile, a retreat for underprivileged single mothers from New Orleans, their children and orphans.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina heavily damaged the Rest Awhile, ending its life as a retreat house.

McGuire purchased the property in January, saying at the time he didn't know exactly what would become of the Rest Awhile, but that his main priority revolved around stabilizing, preserving and restoring the historically-significant structures on the property.